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Scientific article
Open access
English

The action of physiological and synthetic steroids on the calcium channel CatSper in human sperm

Published inFrontiers in cell and developmental biology, vol. 11, 1221578
Publication date2023
First online date2023-07-20
Abstract

The sperm-specific channel CatSper (cation channel of sperm) controls the intracellular Ca2+concentration ([Ca2+]i) and plays an essential role in sperm function. It is mainly activated by the steroid progesterone (P4) but is also promiscuously activated by a wide range of synthetic and physiological compounds. These compounds include diverse steroids whose action on the channel is so far still controversial. To investigate the effect of these compounds on CatSper and sperm function, we developed a high-throughput screening (HTS) assay to measure changes in [Ca2+]iin human sperm and screened 1,280 approved and off-patent drugs including 90 steroids from the Prestwick chemical library. More than half of the steroids tested (53%) induced an increase in [Ca2+]iand reduced the P4-induced Ca2+influx in human sperm in a dose-dependent manner. Ten of the most potent steroids (activating and P4-inhibiting) were selected for a detailed analysis of their action on CatSper and their ability to act on sperm acrosome reaction (AR) and penetration in viscous media. We found that these steroids show an inhibitory effect on P4 but not on prostaglandin E1-induced CatSper activation, suggesting that they compete for the same binding site as P4. Pregnenolone, dydrogesterone, epiandrosterone, nandrolone, and dehydroepiandrosterone acetate (DHEA) were found to activate CatSper at physiologically relevant concentrations within the nanomolar range. Like P4, most tested steroids did not significantly affect the AR while stanozolol and estropipate slightly increased sperm penetration into viscous medium. Furthermore, using a hybrid approach integrating pharmacophore analysis and statistical modelling, we were able to screenin silicofor steroids that can activate the channel and define the physicochemical and structural properties required for a steroid to exhibit agonist activity against CatSper. Overall, our results indicate that not only physiological but also synthetic steroids can modulate the activity of CatSper with varying potency and if bound to CatSper prior to P4, could impair the timely CatSper activation necessary for proper fertilization to occur.

eng
Keywords
  • CatSper
  • Acrosome reaction
  • Calcium signaling
  • High-throughput screening
  • Human sperm
  • Pharmacophore modelling
  • Steroids
Citation (ISO format)
WEHRLI, Lydia et al. The action of physiological and synthetic steroids on the calcium channel CatSper in human sperm. In: Frontiers in cell and developmental biology, 2023, vol. 11, p. 1221578. doi: 10.3389/fcell.2023.1221578
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Identifiers
ISSN of the journal2296-634X
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Creation09/15/2023 9:23:55 AM
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